1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to remote controllers and particularly to apparatus and methods for initializing settings on appliances.
2. Description of the Related Art:
There are many appliances for which initial setup is required, including VCRs, cable boxes, televisions, microwave ovens, timers for lights, timers for sprinkler systems, and heater/air conditioning control systems. Every time power is removed and then reapplied to these appliances, the appliance settings, such as the clock, must be initialized. For example, when a power outage occurs for an appliance such as a VCR the time setting for the clock in the VCR is lost and when power is reapplied to the VCR the clock setting displayed on the appliance is incorrect and needs to be reinitialized or set. When power is restored after a power outage, the clock displayed on the liquid crystal display (LCD) of many VCRs becomes a flashing "12:00" and keeps flashing until the user resets the clock. Resetting the clock typically requires many steps, even if a relatively convenient method is available, such as an "on screen" method for setting the clock. This is an annoyance to the user and often the user will put up with the flashing "12:00" rather than take the time to reset the clock. Other set up data in the VCR, such as a channel map from broadcast channels to cable channels, may also need setting when a power outage occurs. Appliances such as cable boxes, televisions, microwave ovens, timers for lights, and heater/air conditioning control systems also lose data when a power outage occurs. This is not an uncommon event and may happen 3 to 4 times a year in a typical household, which leads to a time consuming and annoying process of initializing settings on each appliance. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system for more conveniently initializing the settings of appliances such as VCRs, cable boxes, televisions, microwave ovens, timers for lights, timers for sprinkler systems, and heater/air conditioning control systems.